I keep my eyes closed as I keep falling, and falling, and falling.

Even if I try to open them and see, I soon realize that I can't; I can't hear anything either, nor I can move. I just keep falling for an immeasurable amount of time, which may have been long or short, but in the afterlife, as I learnt, it doesn't matter. I expect to see the line in front of me at some point... but instead, I feel the warmth of... waves. Waves, like the ones which lulled me and saw me grow up, which challenged me and made me strong. It feels calm and familiar. "Home", I think to myself.

Then I regain my sight. It is not home I reached, nor it is the way to the throne of Pharasma. I exist at the same time in two spaces: one is completely black, one is completely white, and they reach, empty, beyond the horizon. As I look down, I see my mirrored reflection on the other side as if I was walking on a thin surface, moving perfectly in unison: just my silhouette, a shape, featureless and in contrast with the surroundings - silvery in the dark, inky in the light. Nothing happens if I try to reach out for the other side; inexplicably, I am there, in both of the places.

When I raise my eyes again, all around I notice some burning figures slowly moving around me, but they don't have a reflection like mine, and their shapes are completely lost to the burning. The ones in the dark environment are calm, mostly standing still. The black ones, instead, seem more restless, and all of them slowly moving towards a square pedestal, a step that leads to a crowd of them. On the black side, instead, the elevated area is empty. I take a few very wary steps closer to the pedestals; the entities seem to turn towards me, so I stop dead in my tracks, worry clawing at my throat.

I murmur, confusion and fear controlling my voice. "Where am I... what is happening...?"

"Welcome." Two voices speak through my mind, indistinguishable but clear. "Welcome, Evangelia from the Lake of Mists and Veils. You are an anomaly, but you nonetheless reached for us. Here, you are safe."

"Reached for you? Was it me?... how?"

"You... died." Their words bring me back to a very harsh reality, which suddenly breaks my heart again as I remember my last moments. Consequently, I falter. Was it really worth it? Have I just thrown my life away?

"...but I should be in a line. Why am I here?"

For the first time, the two voices split, despite still intervening at the same time.

"You are here because you are not ready for what awaits you there."

"You are here because this is where you belong, and I want to protect you from the pain and suffering."

I feel a shiver running down my spine. I let the motivations sink in for a few seconds. They're ominous, and I feel the urge to run and hide. I feel like suffocating, trembling to the thought of being unable to endure all of that. Then I try to answer to them both. "Why do you want to protect me... and save from what I'm not ready for?"

Silence becomes deafening for a little bit, but then only one of the two answers, somehow grave. "I don't know what you have done to get so many people to think about you without even knowing you... but no one deserves to be treated like this. You don't deserve a world full of pain."

"No one deserves it," my drive takes over the negativity when others are mentioned. I see the faces of many I got to know in front of my eyes as I continue. My faith... my blessing... "That's why I was trying to make it better."

But then I start hearing them. So many voices, from all around me, even if they're not coming from the beings that surround me. People of faith, praying for themselves, for their teams, for the poor; asking for health, for love, for hope. They pray for it, and yet, it all goes unheard. My empathy makes my heart quiver as the feeling of abandonment latches onto them. I despair with them as they stop, sad and full of remorse. My legs threaten to fold beneath me. They become my weight... and my strength alike. "But I hear them, I hear them!! I want to be there for them... I promised I would save them - I promised I would save you!!"

"Their prayers are not meant for you," the two return to talk in unison. "These are all the people you haven't met yet, but who already identify you with their hardships, their misery. You represent their sorrow, and all that they have lost."

I can't say I fully understand what they are meaning, but what I certainly know is... it is awful. It is insane. I feel like I'm choking over my tears as I whisper with a broken voice... "This is exactly why I cannot stay..."

The two also seem to contemplate the situation while I'm completely stolen by the anguish. Even just hearing some of them for a moment was enough to shatter me, but even if in pieces, I feel the need to act, to try and ease their spirits. Somehow, I reject the horrifying doubt - I'm the cause of their dismay, I am the source. I just want to help. I just want to try. I cannot give up yet, because I know I still have more to give. I'm eager to. And yet, it is also what brought me here in the first place, putting myself in the frontline for my lake, for Zinnya and Hoyt. And this could be just a drop in an ocean. And as many drops as an ocean begin to fall from my non-existent eyes, I feel them burning like they were there, and I don't care if they are or not. All of this turmoil needs a way out, and I have nothing else left. I cry for them all. "I'm so sorry..."

They seem to give me a little of space before requiring my attention again, and once more, it is only one of the two intervening. The conversation continues slowly, as if he was trying to accompany me through a reasoning, in search for the final answer.

"Was it a good life?"

"Yes, but is it really over? Is there really no hope?" My answer is one more delayed question.

"If you had the chance, would you do everything all over again? All of it, good and bad, which brought you here." Here. In the middle of other burning spirits, speaking to who I believe to be the two brothers of the story. Sacrificing myself for the safety of who survived the monster in my lake, struggling to keep the contact with my deities, with black tears on my cheeks for having tried to know about what I'm involved in. I hesitate. "Would you go through it all just as you did so far, with all the laughs and the smiles, and all the losses and departures?"

He insists, and a warming memory flashes in my mind, gifting me a spark of strength back. "...yes... Some things could have gone better... I mean, of course they could have gone better, they always can. But everything that happened made me who I am, and someone once told me, it was a beautiful thing. I firmly believe in that, still... so, yes. My answer is yes."

It is not disappointment that follows my answer, but the tone drops again, and I can't help but feel bad about it. Selfish. Greedy. "Then you deserve the world you live in. You deserve all the pain, you deserve all the difficulties and the obstacles you will have to face." Then, he softens. "I am glad."

I cannot fully understand his position, but if my guesses are right... this is the younger brother speaking. The one who fought until his end came, loyal to the cause of the gods. A chosen - just like the eldest, just like me.

My last words are for both of them. "Don't think ill of me for this. Please." But they also go unanswered, and I am left with the feeling of guilt stirring my guts. Still, I have little time to think about it. Everything around me starts to quiver; the flames and the pedestals fade from my sight just as they appeared, as I start ascending once more, losing my senses again, until I can blink again.

I am in the line, in the same spot where I left it the previous time. Only four people stand between me and Pharasma, but this time, a familiar face is by my side.

The Man in Red.

Thought of this while at work, sorry it's a bit hard to read I sketched it out really fast before my last shift lmao wanted to get it done so I could work on other stuff hehe

If it's any consultation Floyd is mostly talking about himself

freedom & hope

"You've been hurting so much, and for so long… Please, let me soothe your pain."

-

There was a scenario I had imagined in which Mario would suffer emotional trauma and keep it to himself to the point of becoming depressed, growing more distant and avoiding others as a result. He would so desperately want for his loved ones to be at peace that he would rather endure unbearable misery in silence than speak on it; not knowing just how tired he really is and how badly he needs to be comforted.

So when Peach would finally -and ever so gently- confront him on the matter, his walls would crumble almost immediately, and he would break down in front of her. Anguish and exhaustion slowly giving way to healing. ❤️‍🩹

If pokemon wont give me bea and allister siblingisms ill just make it MYSELF

We don't see Dean's face, here.

We can imagine his expression, though. Sleeping baby brother is adorable, and that's an understatement.

He leans on the seat, face turned and tilted towards Dean. How many times did he sleep like that, setting to be as near as possible to big brother?

How many times did Dean watch him sleeping, seeing that he was safe? I can just figure out the sweetness of big brother's gaze upon his Sammy, from the tilt of his head turned to watch him.

Just to spice up this sappy moment, big brother will pull a prank on baby brother. Oh, well. That's just in character with Dean Winchester and his no-chick-flick-moments policy.

Going back and reading my 40k fic for olba and wanted to doodle a bit of my sillies

Just me baxterposting

Thinking about the sniper duo

Out of curiosity, what made you decide Raph needed two dragons in the spitfire au? Also, is there an easy way to tell Crash and Bash apart? Thanks!

Knew this question was eventually coming (；ﾞﾟωﾟ) warning: long post

Ok story time, I see a lot of myself in Raph as a character. For the first half of my childhood I was the eldest. I was the roll model and figure my younger siblings looked up to or came to for guidance. Then in the later years of my childhood I got an older step sibling, suddenly I became a middle child. The dynamic of my family shifted to where I had grown up the eldest but then was sort of allowed to be myself and more free once I became a middle child. So in a way, I grew up understanding the two sides of looking up to an older sibling and what it feels like to be that older sibling.

When I first watched rottmnt I instantly felt a connection to Ralph’s character. An older sibling figure that dotes on his brothers but is also a lovable goofball. I understood his position in the family on a deeper level. Someone who wears the hat of both responsible sibling but also expressive idiot. I knew he was going to be someone in my au that his power would be shaped on that perceived position in the family.

The canon show doesn’t really dive into the origin of the mystic weapons or the “rules” around mystic magic with the boys. I think I’ve mentioned it somewhere else but the way I see their mystic abilities is that it’s an extension of themselves, a reflection of their power and character. So seeing how I view Raph as someone who holds himself responsible for his brothers but is also still running around doing stupid things with them, I wanted to reflect that duo mindset in his ninpo.

Sorry for the long post, hope this makes sense! (Here’s some Crash & Bash helpful pointers)

bug trolls… i am interested in kankri vantas. if that isn’t too much trouble. your buggy guys are so silly and interesting and i am a fan

here is kankri and his baby brother…. they don’t get along!! i wish they did though id love to see these two go on an adventure together where they look out each other. since kankri is a beforus troll and a vegan, his shell is pretty thin because he’s not getting enough iron. on the other hand, karkat’s shell is heavier then it should be due to stress. thanks for the RQ!! im soooo glad ppl like my sillies :D

imagining the story from pei ming's perspective is rlly funny i think. this god from all that time ago ascends again (you were there for the first two times) and immediately waltzes into a situation that fucks something up for your descendant (putting both of your reputations on the line, messing up how hard your descendant worked to become a god and how hard you worked to ensure that he would have that chance) and then refuses to let you smooth the situation out and on TOP of that your friend's little sister (who hates you and who you are trying to look out for by request of your friend) is on your case about it too. so you've gotta work all that out and then like. you chill for a little bit (still kind of upset about your descendant) until your friend undergoes a heavenly calamity. and then in the space of like A Day the god from earlier shows up again with a fucking ghost king, your friend dies, the little sister you're supposed to be looking out for disappears, and everything just kinda goes to shit. so you're like. grieving. trying to process everything. until your OTHER close friend goes off the fucking rails with the spirit of that guy she murdered, and then you get called out to the spooky ghost mountain where you're confronted with the girl whose death YOU were essentially responsible for and have never really come to terms with, and then like. you just kind of hang out with these gay people until everything resolves itself. fight some ghosts. fight the heavenly emperor. get your friend to stop being evil for a little while so she can fix the filing systems. and then you just have to keep being the god of love i guess

Has your muse ever experienced “good karma” — a good deed or kind action, performed with no expectation of reward or repayment, that came back to help them in the end? Tell us about it.

Indeed she has.

The people in the Iron School of Magic in Deadbridge always answered to the party's calls for help after they delivered them a dangerous onyx stone, useful in activities that involve the creation of harmful undead. Echo was always in the front above all - all the more after they freed the city of Bodie's Haunt from the undead curse, and relieved his friend Keelu from his burdens.

Once Lia and Echo's bond developed into love, he risked it all and called for Rasmia to strike a deal with her to bring the oracle back from the dead, and he was ready no matter the cost it could have had - good thing the deal itself wasn't necessary.

Despite Hoyt grew up working alone as an assassin, especially since Lia made sure that he could be brought back to life she always felt like he also started to watch out for her more than she could expect; now, if that happens because of necessity and convenience or actual care stays a mystery, but Lia likes to think he's also coming to like being with the team.

In Outsea, when she exposed herself to defend Opak from a fellow General, the strongest of them all even, Opak also tried to call for reinforcements the moment he could, and finally decided to lend a hand to help the lake of Jaha with the catastrophes the Vitalia is bringing. Little before, fighting alongside Enais to get rid of the drakes which hunted him for years earned her his support in the same future fight as well.

All of her good deeds had beautiful things turning her way after more or less time. She still has to find out who interceded for her with Pharasma to let her escape death a second time; she wonders if it was one of her protectees, or even one of the brothers, or the entity that tested the three of them during the Witches' Gathering. Was it also a consequence of something she did?

Sorry but my mind now solely thinks about your big brother au.

Reader and Sukuna were probably fucking menaces when they were young teenagers. Him, Reader and Uruame were probably so much fun lol

defff, but i think reader was more of a goodie two shoes. not by much, but sukuna was…crazy. you guys were friends through it all, but he had the BIGGEST crush on you though all throughout high school, and you only started to finally give him a chance just after you graduated. and finally when he gets you all to himself, he has to share you with his clingy brother 🙄

United States Junior Gymnastic Team of ‘88-‘89

Catherine Todd née Johnson & Mary Grayson née Lloyd: I hope we meet again (I’m letting you go)

@kindlespark / The Book Thief, Markus Zusak / ? / dc comics / Diary, Chuck Palahniuk / Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace / Always Gold, Radical Face / Us Against You, Fredrik Backman / @inanotherunivrse / I Wanted to Leave, SYML / ? / ? / Psychogeography, Chelsea Dingman / @leonardospoetry + me / On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Vuong / Past Lives (2023) / A Letter to Love, Caitlyn Siehl / @archivegeo / In a Dream You Saw a Way to Survive, Clementine von Radics / Always Gold, Radical Face / Dorothea, Taylor Swift / Stand by Me (1986) / dc comics + On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, Ocean Vuong / Life After Death, Laura Gilpin / Lost Without You, Freya Ridings

Everything is Blue

[3/21] Happy anniversary! ★

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